Recent years have been an explosive development in the field of solar energy collection and utilization. The largest area of development and expansion appears to be in the area of flat plate collectors. This is believed to be explained because of the relative simplicity of such devices. An inherent limitation in flat plate collectors however, is that the energy as collected is distributed over a broad area and usually at a relatively low concentration. No truly efficient collection process has been developed for plate collectors. Thus flat plate collectors which require a large geographic area are found use principally in hot water heaters and other applications where large areas are available and the temperature requirements are not high.
For any type of collection system where the energy will be conveyed and used in almost any form other than a heated collection medium such as water, a solar concentrator is required. Solar concentrators have not been favored because of lack of familiarity with them; the need for rather sophisticated and expensive mirror systems and a concern for injury to persons who might be exposed to the concentrated solar energy. A careful examination however of these limitations show that they are not or should not be controlling. With recent development in improved low cost mirrors and a recognition that a solar concentrator can be a safe device when properly designed and installed, it is believed that a concentrating collector provides a vastly superior solar energy collection system to that of the flat plate type.
Given a superiority it is encumbant upon the art to provide a truly practical concentrator/collector system and particularly one which is compatible with home or recreational vehicle applications and thus come within a reasonable cost limitation.